Just before noon, the White House blamed a staffer for the video posted to Trump’s Truth Social account and said the post had been removed. “Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House. The White House had earlier defended the post and downplayed the response to the video, calling it “fake outrage.” But just before noon, an official told CNN, “A White House staffer erroneously made the post. Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, who is considered one of the most vulnerable Republicans in Congress, condemned the Truth Social post and called on Trump to apologize. “This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King,” Leavitt said in a statement.

Source: CNN February 06, 2026 14:58 UTC